The need for adequate protective devices for marinas and private docking areas is an increasing problem with the increasing number of pleasure boats and yachts. Various devices are known for protecting a boat from damage when the boat is secure or maneuvered alongside a dock, pier or piling. One such device is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,832 which discloses a protective device for docked boats for vertical attachment relative to support means such as a piling. The device includes a carriage means such as an elongated H-beam which is permanently fixed to the piling from the point well below the water level to a desired elevation above the water level. A protective cover, such as a cylindrical member, is provided with a T-slot along one side thereof for sliding reception of an outer T-portion of the H-beam for forming the protective device.
However, due to the means used for connecting the cylindrical member to the H-beam, the protective device of the '832 patent is potentially susceptible to tear-out whereby extensive maintenance or replacement of the protective device would be required quite frequently.